Devices for positioning and applying fasteners, such as screws, rivets, staples, nails and the like, have been heretofore suggested and/or utilized, and, more particularly, have included devices for positioning and applying a fastener which include mechanisms for maintaining a supply of such fasteners adjacent to the device and for serially positioning fasteners from the supply for application thereof to a work object (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,294,142, 2,943,652, 2,878,700, and 1,815,594).
Devices for attachment to a standard driving tool, such as a power driver, have also been heretofore suggested and/or utilized for driving a screw maintained in a feeding mechanism having a plurality of screws positioned thereat (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,018,254, 3,299,499 and 4,428,261), as have manually operated devices for holding a screw in an engaged position with a driver (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,884,971, 2,774,401, and 2,633,169).
Such previously known devices for positioning and applying fasteners, however have often proven to be cumbersome in operation, have not been entirely successful in operation in restricted spaces where a more compact instrument is desirable, and/or have not maintained the supply of fasteners to be fed to the driving mechanism substantially within the device. As may be appreciated, further improvement of such devices could therefore be utilized.